Flyers blanked for second game in a row

Elsa, Getty Images

Flyers goalie Ray Emery is pulled from the game and replaced by former Lehigh Valley Phantoms goalie Rob Zepp in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Flyers goalie Ray Emery is pulled from the game and replaced by former Lehigh Valley Phantoms goalie Rob Zepp in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. (Elsa, Getty Images)

Wayne FishCalkins Media

PHILADELPHIA – Rollercoaster season, anyone?

The Flyers score seven goals on Monday night against Tampa, then get shut out in back-to-back games.

There’s no simple explanation for why the Flyers can’t play consistent hockey; how one night they look like worldbeaters and the next like they can’t beat an egg.

Thursday night’s debacle, a dismal 4-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at the Wells Fargo, came on the heels of a 1-0 blanking in Washington.

That runs the Flyers’ scoreless streak to 144 minutes, 59 seconds.

This time, at least, the outcome was decided much quicker than down in the nation’s capital.

The Canucks put three pucks behind starting goalie Ray Emery before the game was 22 minutes old.

He was booed off the ice at 1:21 of the second period only to have his replacement, Rob Zepp, up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, give up a fourth goal just 22 seconds later.

The game was long over by then. In fact, one could make an argument the Flyers began to put their heads down after Vancouver scored less than seven minutes into the game.

Why would the Flyers’ team psyche be so fragile? Except for a few players, this is the same cast of characters which took the Stanley Cup finalist Rangers to a seventh game in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

“It (no goals) happens sometimes. You have to keep playing and that didn’t happen tonight.’’

Sean Couturier described the situation as frustrating. When a team puts its collective heads down after just one goal, something isn’t right.

“After the first goal – it’s been like (discouragement) since the start of the year at times – we just got a goal against,’’ Couturier said, “it seems like we stop playing and start watching and hoping to get plays done.

“But you can’t react like that, you have to stay focused. It’s a long game, you can’t get frustrated after just one goal.’’

While Emery’s numbers have been bad of late, he really couldn’t be faulted for this one. He received no support offensively or defensively.

“Tonight we got off to a good start, fell behind and maybe got discouraged a bit,’’ Emery said.

About the season, he added: “It’s not fun losing more games than you win. But we have hope in here, we have drive in here, we believe in ourselves. But we realize every game is important.’’

What little the Flyers could muster in the way of offense was easily turned aside by Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller.

Once again, the Flyers’ lackluster penalty killing contributed mightily to their downfall. The Flyers’ kill, ranked 30th/last in the NHL at 74.4 percent entering the game, surrendered Vancouver’s second and third goals while a man short.

The first came at 13:21 of the first period when Henrik Sedin made a brilliant tip of brother Daniel’s long shot over Emery’s shoulder.

Then, on the goal that caused his exit, Emery was left out to dry on a shot by Radim Vrbata.

Back in the first period, Nick Bonino got Vancouver off to a quick start by pulling a spin-a-rama move on Flyer defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Bonino pulled off a complete 360-degree spin like something out of Disney on Ice, then beat Emery with a wrist shot at 6:35.